Nugent would be heading to his fifth team. He made under 83 percent of his field goal attempts in 2012. He also commands heavy financial compensation following a one-year $2.65million deal from Cincinnati.

Novak is coming off of a career season (90 percent accuracy), but has a personal all-time FG completion average of just 76.2 percent.

Instead of picking up retreads, the Cleveland Browns can use one of their two sixth-round picks to take the top ranked kicker, according to CBS Sports, Dustin Hopkins (Florida State).

Undrafted free agency could also be an option if a Quinn Sharp (Oklahoma State) or Brandon McManus (Temple) fall through the cracks.

PUNTER- Free Agency

Cleveland's replacement of current punter Reggie Hodges should come courtesy of an undrafted free agent.

Hodges ranked a lowly 31st amongst NFL punters average yards per kick and that is simply not good enough. It appears that he never fully recovered from his season ending Achilles injury in 2011.

On February 13 the team signed Spencer Lanning who was cut during the 2012 training camp. Lanning graduated from South Carolina in 2010 and was a four-year letterman.

Offensive Line

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

Left and right tackle as well as center are solidified for the foreseeable future, but offensive guard remains a question mark.

Depth became a serious concern when Jason Pinkston was sidelined with blood clots in his lungs. In general, John Greco did a nice job stepping up his play, while Shawn Lauvao's performance ran hot and cold.

Free agency and draft should both be on the menu to improve at the position.

FREE AGENCY

No doubt that Buffalo's Andy Levitre is the best guard on the market and Cleveland has salary cap space to go after him.

At 26, the Oregon State alum brings along all the necessary tools.

Starting 64 straight games proves that reliability and pass protection are some of his greatest strengths.

Levitre demonstrates great agility for a 305-pound lineman and that helps in his ever improving in-line run blocking. Just ask Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller how valuable No. 67 is.

The four-season pro also provides versatility as he also spent time at tackle and center.

There will be plenty of bidders to give the former 51st overall draft pick a raise from his now expired four year $3.56 million contract

Is solidifying the O-Line with a proven stud in his prime not worth spending on? Pay the man Mr. Banner.

Another possible FA to go after is San Diego Chargers 25-year-old Louis Vasquez. New offensive coordinator Norv Turner obviously is familiar with the 6'5", 335-pound OG from his head coaching days in San Diego.

New England's Donald Thomas would bring youth and size; however, the Patriots were his third team in five seasons.

DRAFT

Even by landing a top tier free agent, the Cleveland Browns can realistically grab another upgrade in the middle rounds.

Alabama's Chance Warmack is undoubtedly the most hyped guard of the draft, but Cleveland has to focus on more pressing defensive needs with their sixth overall selection.

Fret not Dawg Pound for there are plenty of talented big men that can create running lanes for Trent Richardson and protect whoever is under center.

Alvin Bailey (Arkansas), Garrett Gilkey (Chadron State) and Omoregie Uzzi (Georgia Tech) are all interesting prospects that are expected to fall between the fourth and sixth rounds according to CBS Sports.

Running Back and Fullback

Trent Richardson is obviously the centerpiece of Cleveland's offense, but he does require reliable backups if his injury troubles carry over into next season.

Montario Hardesty cut out a niche for himself as that change of pace back who could slash his way through holes with natural quickness.

The question is can Mo-Hard stay healthy and avoid the fumbling tendencies that have plagued his career.

Competition is the way to go and the Cleveland Browns simply have too many other pressing requirements to take a project RB through the draft.

An enticing possibility came about when two-time Superbowl champion Ahmad Bradshaw was tossed to the curb by the New York Giants.

The soon to be 27-year-old offers 32 career touchdowns and did rush for 1,015-yards in 2012—talk about a power running game combination between him and Richardson.

A downside is that Bradshaw has only competed in all 16 matchups once in six NFL campaigns. Perhaps splitting carries with T-Rich is beneficial to both players since it would cut down on wear and tear.

Another route is via an undrafted free agent.

Since No. 33 will be burdening the majority of the load, signing someone like a Rex Burkhead (Nebraska) is a low risk, high reward scenario.

The senior's smash mouth style wears down defenses and he shows good instincts when following blockers.

Burkhead is more of a momentum guy, lacking elite speed, but he never stops moving forward and uses his compact 5'11", 210-pound build to punish anyone in an opposing jersey.

FULLBACK—Free Agency

The pickings are slim and this team definitely needs one. A bad combination for Cleveland and their fullback woes.

Owen Marecic was a disaster in 2012 and converted tight end Alex Smith was a band-aid solution at best.

To help maximize Trent Richardson's potential the Browns cannot miss on a bulldozer type FB.

Minnesota's Jerome Felton may be their best bet. Afterall, lead blocking for Adrian Peterson in his near single-season rushing record drive has to count for something.

The 6'0", 248-pound five-year veteran had exactly zero carries and only three receptions this past year. This is a good thing because it means he was focusing on blocks and lane clearing.

This club never replaced the nasty physicality of Lawrence Vickers following his depature in 2011. Could Felton be that guy?

Wide Receiver

Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesBrowns receiver Josh Gordon about to make a catch.

FREE AGENCY

The Cleveland Browns have enough youth at receiver with Josh Gordon, Greg Little, Travis Benjamin and Josh Cooper. What they do need is a veteran with reliable hands that won't take away reps from Gordon or Little.

Pittsburgh's Mike Wallace is one over priced headcase that Cleveland does not need to open the wallet for. Dwayne Bowe from Kansas City falls into that same category.

Those two wide receivers are stellar talents, but this group is developing steadily to become the next NFL hot shots.

Greg Jennings of the Green Bay Packers has the right attitude as well as the ability to move the chains and find the end zone. He is more of a West Coast Offense slot type and may not fit into the coaching staff's vertical downfield attack.

San Francisco's Ted Ginn Jr. is an Ohio native that could serve a two-fold purpose. Split kick/punt returns with Benjamin and be that third or fourth WR option.

Danny Amendola is a first down machine, securing 38 in 2012, and he contributed three touchdowns as well. He's not flashy or a locker room problem and would be a terrific "steady eddy" type of addition.

The draft shows no immediate improvement of a signal caller that could instantly start over Brandon Weeden. If this team wants a project, how about working with one that started 15 games for them last season.

It is slim pickings on the free agent front as well (Joe Flacco is not leaving Baltimore).

When Miami's Matt Moore and Carolina's Derek Anderson are two of the more intriguing options, then you know you're in trouble.

The negative way Anderson left Cleveland in 2010 suggests he would be more of a distraction.

That being said, DA did have an incredible 2007 with the Cleveland Browns when now head coach Rob Chudzinski was his offensive coordinator.

Moore was competent during 2011, appearing in 13 contests for the Miami Dolphins and threw more touchdowns than interceptions at a 16-9 ratio.

His completion percentage was a decent 60.5, and No. 8 does average over seven yards per pass, which is higher than Weeden's.

However, Moore didn't do enough to stop Miami from drafting Ryan Tannehill last offseason at the position and is going to be seeking his third new home in seven years.